1 PROJECT OVERVIEW
This study builds upon the efforts of Chapel Hill Police, non-profits, and several Town departments to improve safety and enhance quality of life in the neighborhood surrounding Sykes Street on the western border of Chapel Hill. The Police Department’s Community Policing Program, which has organized residents in western Northside for approximately three years, approached the Town Council in early 2000 to request the purchase of a property that was experiencing loitering, drug dealing, and other criminal activity. The Town purchased the vacant home, 501 Sykes Street, in November 2000 with the intent of placing the house in the Community Land Trust in Orange County. However, after discussions between representatives from the Land Trust, Orange Community Housing Corporation (OCHC),[1] and EmPOWERment, Town and agency officials decided that a comprehensive community development approach was needed to produce and sustain community improvements in the Sykes Street area.
On January 8, 2001, the Town Council authorized the UNC Department of City and Regional Planning’s Community Development Workshop, under the supervision of Dr. William Rohe, to develop an action strategy for the area within an approximately one-block radius of Sykes Street. As stated in the resolution approved by the Town Council (see Appendix B, pg. 4), the participating organizations were charged with:
· Developing a comprehensive approach to revitalize the study area; and
· Establishing recommendations to improve the quality of housing and increase public safety in the study area.
1.1 STEERING COMMITTEE AND STUDY AREA BOUNDARIES
Development of the action strategy has been overseen by a steering committee consisting of community residents; representatives of the Chapel Hill’s Police, Planning, and Housing Departments; OCHC; and EmPOWERment.[2] The research has been conducted by five graduate students from the University of North Carolina’s Department of City and Regional Planning.
Steering committee members established the boundaries of the study area
immediately upon beginning work.
Because crime and safety issues were an impetus for the project, they
defined the neighborhood based on the prevalence of criminal activity on and
adjacent to Sykes Street. Specifically,
the study area includes a one block radius around Sykes Street starting from
Nunn and Whitaker Street and moving north for approximately three blocks (see
map in Appendix A, pg. 1).
From the outset, committee members recognized the importance of organizing neighborhood residents to solicit their input and ideas for potential action strategies for community improvement. Accordingly, the Department of City and Regional Planning’s Community Development Workshop members developed their work plan to facilitate community dialogue and establish a process for ongoing communication between residents and organizations working in the neighborhood.
1.2 STRUCTURE OF THE PROJECT
For more details on the work plan and structure of the project, see Appendix C, pgs. 5-11. The study process had three broad components: (1) information gathering; (2) outreach activities; and (3) model research and recommendation development.
1.2.1
Information
Gathering
Information on the Sykes Street area was gathered through:
· Interviews with key stakeholders from the partnership agencies and other organizations serving the community.
· A survey of residents that identified concerns about housing and community safety issues. Surveys were conducted door-to-door, and households not available for personal interviews were mailed abbreviated surveys. All of the study area’s 116 occupied households were contacted, and 46 (40%) completed surveys.
· The collection of census information, crime data, and property ownership listings.
1.2.2
Outreach
Activities
We also met with several organizations working in the Sykes Street area and held public meetings with residents as part of the study project. In addition to gathering information, these activities were intended to build relationships, link residents to existing organizations, and foster communication and trust within the community. Specific outreach efforts included:
- Meetings with the Northside Neighborhood Association and Community Watch to establish relationships and build upon existing community building efforts.
- Two community meetings. The first informed residents about the survey and provided them with an opportunity to voice concerns and suggestions for improvement in the neighborhood. The second focused on disseminating survey results and soliciting additional feedback from residents.
- A joint meeting with the boards of EmPOWERment and OCHC to discuss future collaboration and coordination of community development efforts in the Sykes Street area.
1.2.3
Model Research
and Recommendation Development
Using the survey responses as well as information collected from community outreach efforts and steering committee members, we researched national models on crime prevention, housing, and other issues that residents had identified as top community priorities. Utilizing all the information gathered, we developed a set of recommendation for improving the quality of life in the Sykes Street Area (see Part 4 for details on the recommendations).
A community meeting was held in late April 2001 to disseminate key survey findings and request resident feedback and build support for the proposed recommendations. Despite extensive outreach efforts, resident turnout was low. We incorporated the suggestions made by residents who attended the meeting; however, continued outreach efforts should be undertaken to gather resident input and buy-in before prior to implementation of these recommendations.
2 PROFILE OF THE STUDY AREA
The study area consists of approximately six blocks in the northwestern corner of the Northside neighborhood, which is one of the largest historically African American neighborhoods in Chapel Hill. While Northside as a whole has been studied repeatedly as part of neighborhood preservation initiatives, this project is the first systematic attempt to identify and analyze issues specific to the western end of the neighborhood.
2.1 THE LARGER NORTHSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD
The Northside community, including the Sykes Street area, was first settled in the 1800s and became the largest African-American neighborhood in Chapel Hill in which residents owned their own homes. The Northside School was the first public secondary school for African-Americans in Orange County (now used as the Orange Person Chatham Mental Heath Center to the east of the study area), and the area supported a large number of black-owned businesses. Residents who grew up in the neighborhood remember it as a tight-knit, working-class community.
In more recent years the area has come under market pressures as increasing numbers of UNC students seek low-cost housing close to campus. The University has built only one new dormitory since 1970, although enrollment has increased by about 33% from 18,000 to 24,000 students over the last three decades. At the same time, housing turnover has increased as the Northside population has aged and many members of younger generations have chosen not to move back to occupy their family homes. Some families have chosen to sell their houses outright to investors who have then converted to student rentals. As a result of these combined pressures, rent prices are increasing and the supply of single-family housing has begun to decrease. Reports of student-related noise, parking, and trash problems have also risen.
In reaction to the increasing pressures on affordability and quality of life, the Town of Chapel Hill and local residents have organized a number of preservation initiatives over the last several years. Northside was designated as a Conservation Area in the 1990 Chapel Hill Land Use Plan, and as a focus area in the 1999 Comprehensive Plan Revision. Graduate students from UNC’s Department of City and Regional Planning conducted studies of the neighborhood during both processes.[3] Over the last two years, the Northside Neighborhood Association and other residents have lobbied for landlord licensing, zoning restrictions, and other measures to stabilize neighborhood housing patterns.
The most intense rental conversion pressures have focused on the eastern portion of Northside closest to the UNC campus. As indicated by the neighborhood demographics and housing patterns discussed in Part 2.3 and observations made during the survey process, very few UNC students have moved into the study area to date. Instead, residents in the Sykes Street area face a more immediate set of concerns involving crime, services for children, and helping families make the transition to homeownership. However, with UNC enrollment expected to increase by approximately 12.5% over the next decade, rental housing affordability remains a long-term concern.
2.2 GeographY of the Study Area
Located approximately one mile from downtown Chapel Hill and the
University of North Carolina campus, the study area contains 131 residences
located along the Town’s western border with Carrboro (see map, Appendix A, pg.
1). The area begins about one block
north of the West Franklin/Rosemary commercial corridor at Nunn and Whitaker
streets, and extends for a block on either side of Sykes Street as it runs
north parallel to the Carrboro border.
The northern and northeastern borders consist of a gully and the Tanyard
Branch of Bolin Creek, which cut the Sykes Street area off from McMasters Street
and surrounding neighborhoods. To the
east, Caldwell Street Extension connects the study area to the larger Northside
neighborhood and to the Orange Person Chatham Mental Heath Center, the Southern
Orange Senior Center, and the Chapel Hill Housing Department, which are located
just beyond the study area’s borders.
South of Caldwell, Mitchell Lane and the William P. Hargraves Community
Center form the southeastern border of the study area.
The larger Northside community surrounds the study area on three sides, extending to McMasters in the northeast, roughly to Church Street in the east, and to Rosemary in the south. Over the Carrboro boundary to the west, the Sykes Street area abuts another historically African-American community: the Broad/Lloyd Street area. Although there is no direct road access to Carrboro within the boundaries of the study area, pedestrian traffic is heavy along a path from Craig Street west to Carrboro’s Baldwin Park and to grocery stores and other businesses on the far side of the Broad/Lloyd Street neighborhood.
2.3 Demographic and Housing Patterns
Comprehensive 2000 census data are not yet available, but redistricting files provide limited information at the census block level. Excluding several homes along the northeastern and southern borders that are grouped with census blocks that lie mainly outside the study boundaries (see map, Appendix A, pg. 2), the core five census blocks surrounding Sykes Street contain 203 people (see Table 1). The percentage of children is particularly high, with 36% of residents under age 18. Approximately 93% of residents are African-American, 5% are white and 2% identified themselves as biracial or multiracial. Across all racial groups, 4% of residents are Hispanic/Latino. Based on observations made during the Sykes Street surveying process, we believe these demographics are consistent for the entire study area.
|
Table 1 2000 Census Data |
|||
|
|
Study Area* |
Census Tract 113 |
Chapel Hill |
|
African-American |
93.1% |
38.5% |
11.4% |
|
White |
4.9% |
56.3% |
77.9% |
|
Other race |
0.0% |
3.3% |
8.8% |
|
Bi-/Multiracial |
2.0% |
1.8% |
1.9% |
|
Hispanic/Latino |
4.4% |
3.9% |
3.2% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Under age 18 |
36.4% |
13.2% |
15.1% |
|
|
(N=203) |
(N=2,400) |
(N=48,715) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
* Excludes some homes along the northeastern and southern borders |
|||
The larger census tract containing all of Northside and neighboring areas is also quite racially diverse in comparison to Chapel Hill’s overall population, but the distribution appears to reflect an infusion of college students from the University of North Carolina. In contrast to the Sykes Street area, only 13% of the larger tract’s 2,400 residents are under age 18. The tract is more racially diverse, consisting of 56% white, 39% African-American, and 5% Asian, American Indian, biracial, or multiracial. Hispanics and Latinos of all races constitute just under 4% of tract population.
The Northside community as a whole has a long tradition of single-family home ownership, but has experienced a recent trend toward rental conversion targeted at college students. The Sykes Street area is distinct from the larger neighborhood because it has been dominated by rental units for some time, but generally attracts families and other non-students. While EmPOWERment estimates that approximately 47% of Northside private residences are owner-occupied, our analysis of property records indicates that homeowners occupy only 36.9% of the private residences in the Sykes Street area. The study area also includes the largest public housing concentration in Northside, with 47 town-owned units scattered on Craig, Gomains, and Sykes. These are the only public housing units in Chapel Hill that are imbedded in a residential neighborhood rather than contained in a standalone complex. Once the public units are added in, the percentage of owner-occupied housing in the study area drops to 23.7%.
Among landlords who rent private residences in the study area, 90% reside within a one-county radius of Chapel Hill. Almost four-fifths actually live in Chapel Hill or Carrboro (including other parts of Northside), and several more live in Raleigh, Durham, or Pittsboro. Only six landlords are out of state, located in either New York or Washington, D.C.
2.4
Ongoing
Neighborhood Programs and Organizations
The larger Northside neighborhood has a Neighborhood
Association and Community Watch program.
Both meet monthly at the Hargraves Center. Although both organizations involve participants from the Sykes
Street study area, representation has historically been stronger from other
parts of the Northside neighborhood.
The Neighborhood Association in particular reports that repeated
outreach efforts to the study area have been unsuccessful and that members want
to increase participation from the western part of the community.
A number of town agencies and nonprofit organizations also
work in the Sykes Street area. These
include:
·
The Chapel Hill Police Department’s Community Policing
Program: The nine-year-old community
policing program initially focused its work with public housing in the
Craig/Gomains area, and returned to focus on the Sykes Street area generally
after drug and loitering activity shifted there from other parts of
Northside. Four officers focus on
narcotics and general crime issues, while another officer is focusing on
nuisance abatement actions, enforcement of Town ordinances, and landlord
education measures. Officers work with
the Community Watch and are supporting other organization and community
development efforts across the area.
Both community policing and general patrol officers use a police substation
located on Craig Street.
·
EmPOWERment: The area’s
largest community development corporation, EmPOWERment rehabilitates houses,
builds new homes, and operates rental houses throughout Northside. It purchased, renovated, and sold the house
at 405 Sykes Street to a first-time homebuyer in 1998, and is currently
rehabilitating the 501 Sykes Street property and at least one other home in the
study area. The nonprofit also operates
a small business incubator two blocks south of Sykes Street and provides organizing
staff support to the Northside Neighborhood Association and an area youth
group, as well as general community organizing and advocacy.
·
Hargraves Community Center: The Hargraves Center is located immediately
southeast of the study area and includes a 14,000 square-foot community center,
gymnasium, swimming pool, softball field, volleyball court, and several outdoor
tennis and basketball courts. The
center offers a diverse range of programming for children and adults, including
after-school and summer programs and a computer lab with Internet and email
access.
· Town Planning Department: Planning department staff focus generally on managing growth, administering development regulations, planning for capital and transportation improvements, and promoting affordable housing opportunities. The department also administers Community Development Block Grant funds and other revitalization moneys for projects throughout the Northside area.
· Town Housing Department: The Town operates almost 50 units of public housing within the study area and provides newsletters and other general tenant services. The department recently completed extensive renovations of units in the study area and is planning to organize a residents committee there in the coming year.
· Other Town Departments: Public Works, Parks and Recreation, Transportation and a number of other Town departments also provide services to the Sykes Street area. In March 2001, the Public Works Department joined in a resident-led cleanup of the whole Northside neighborhood by agreeing to pick up large items for free.
·
Orange Community Housing Corp.: OCHC had provided repair funds to about 10
homes in the larger Northside neighborhood, but had no direct involvement in
the Sykes Street area specifically until the Town Council voted to place the
501 Sykes Street house into the Community Land Trust in Orange County. OCHC’s general operations include developing
new affordable housing units, providing home ownership education programs, and
operating the county’s Urgent Repair Program. The boards
of OCHC and the Community Land Trust will formally merge into one organization
as of July 1, 2001.
3 SURVEY RESULTS
Steering committee members charged the student working group with developing a door-to-door community survey to identify key community priorities across a broad range of issues. Additionally, the steering committee members wanted community demographic information such as number of households with children, household payments and average rental income, to be used for future service provision. The survey was used to develop specific recommendations to improve quality of life in the study area as well as to identify issues for further research.
Please refer to Appendix I, pg. 30, for a detailed listing of survey findings, including a discussion of which questions were asked and omitted from the shortened survey that was mailed to residents who could not be reached in door-to-door interviews. An overview of the findings is highlighted in the text and tables within this section.
3.1
Survey
Methodology
To inform residents of the survey, we attended meetings of the Northside Neighborhood Association and Northside Community Watch, mailed all residences an introduction letter, and held a community meeting at the Hargraves Community Center in early March. Six community residents attended the meeting and generated a number of ideas that were incorporated in our recommendations.
Students conducted the survey in teams of two, in March and early April. Steering committee members also participated in survey administration to meet local residents, demonstrate agency commitment to the neighborhood, and generally gain a better understanding of community needs. Surveying took place on weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings. The interviews averaged approximately 20 minutes in length. Every household in the study area was visited at least twice, with 37 of the 131 households completing direct interviews. Households that could not be contacted were mailed an abbreviated form of the survey in April. Nine residents completed these surveys, bringing the total households surveyed to 46. The overall completion rate was 40% for the 116 occupied households.
We also conducted personal interviews with each member of the steering committee, the director of the Hargraves Center, the school social worker for Seawell Elementary (which serves the Sykes Street area), and the police chief of Carrboro for their perspectives on community issues. These were not tallied as formal surveys but the information gathered did influence recommendations.
3.2
RESPONDENT
Demographics
Demographic information on survey
respondents is limited because the mail survey omitted several questions to
shorten the survey and increase the response rate and because several
respondents declined to answer certain items.
Based on the information we have, 31 households were African American,
five white, and one Hispanic. This
appeared fairly similar to the demographics of the core of the community as
discussed in Part 2.3. Twenty-six of
the respondents were female and 11 male.
Median household size was 2.6, with an average of two children per
household.
Forty-six
percent of respondents had a full-time worker in the household, 13% of
respondents were employed part-time, 24% were retired, and 17% were disabled or
unemployed. Median household income was
approximately $15,000, which is 17% of the area median income for Chapel Hill.[4] Affordable monthly rent or mortgage
calculated for this median income range is $375; the median rent or mortgage
reported in the community was $300 to $350, which implies that rental rates are
generally affordable in the study area.
The tenure of residence in the neighborhood varied greatly, ranging from
six months to over 90 years. However,
60% of respondents reported having lived somewhere else in Northside before
moving to their current residence. This
suggests a stable history and connection among many residents with the larger
neighborhood.
3.3
Resident
Perceptions of the Neighborhood
The survey instrument posed two open-ended questions asking residents to identify the three things they liked best and the three things they liked least about their neighborhood. These questions were designed to gauge resident-identified assets and challenges within the study area. The three most frequently reported responses for both questions are detailed below:
·
Best things about the neighborhood:
· Quiet neighborhood: 63%
· Proximity to downtown/convenience of location: 58%
·
Friendly neighbors/know neighbors: 42%
·
Worst things about neighborhood:
·
Drug dealing/addicts: 59%
·
People hanging out on corners/loitering: 56%
·
Noise at night: 26%
Thus, although drug and
loitering were identified as significant problems, nearly two-thirds of
residents felt that the neighborhood was quiet. They value its proximity to the rest of Chapel Hill and the sense
of community within the local area.
3.4
Crime
Resident concerns about crime and safety topics were covered in some depth on the survey. Questions focused specifically on residents’ perceptions of safety, the prevalence of criminal activity, resident satisfaction with police protection, and suggestions for improvements in the community policing program. The results are enumerated below:
·
58% of respondents reported being satisfied with police
protection in the community. 22%
are somewhat satisfied, 17% are not satisfied, and 3% had no
comment. When asked about police
performance a slightly different way, 61% said police were doing a good
or very good job, 19% said fair, 6% said poor, and 14% did
not know.
·
When asked how safe they
felt in their homes (very safe, somewhat safe, somewhat unsafe, or very
unsafe), 56% of respondents reported feeling very safe. No respondents reported feeling very unsafe
in their homes.
·
81% of respondents report seeing drug dealing in the last
6 months: of these respondents, 85%
say this occurs often.
·
Over half, 62%, of the respondents report
seeing suspicious people hanging around in the last 6 months. Of these, nearly 70% report this
occurring often.
· Of a number of questions asked regarding issues concerning youth, only youth hanging out on streets/corners received consistent response as being a concern. 57% of respondents said they were concerned about youth hanging out in the street or on corners. Residents cited the risk that youth would be struck by motorists as well as concerns about the influence that drug dealers or other people engaging in delinquent activity might have on neighborhood young people.
3.5
Housing
Questions relating to housing were tailored to residents’ ownership status. Renters were asked about their preference for home ownership and the desirability of purchasing a home in the Sykes Street area. Homeowners were asked about their interest in participating in grant programs for home repairs, but few residents reported interest in these programs.
·
70% of respondents were renters and 30%
were homeowners.
·
86% of renters reported that they would prefer to own
their own homes, while 11% said they preferred renting, and 3%
declined to answer or had no comment.
·
Of those renters who want to own their own homes, 72% said they would
buy in the neighborhood, 20% said they would not purchase homes there,
and 8% declined to answer or had no comment.
3.6
Infrastructure
Infrastructure challenges were first raised in discussions with police regarding loitering and drug activity. To determine whether residents were also concerned with the infrastructure in the community, the survey included questions relating to sidewalks, lighting, roads and other related issues. Additionally, residents were asked to identify areas that they perceived as most safe and less safe as well as locations where pedestrians regularly cut through yards or vacant lots.
·
73% of respondents reported that sidewalks are needed in
the community.
·
61% of respondents
report that people cutting through yards is a problem in the community.
· See Appendix A, pg. 3 for a map of areas that residents noted as needing sidewalks or other infrastructure improvements.
3.7
Community
Services
Many community resources are available to residents in the Sykes Street area, including housing organizations, social service agencies, recreational facilities, and churches/other religious organizations. The survey gauged both awareness and utilization of these resources:
·
52% of the residents interviewed reported being aware of
Neighborhood Watch programs generally. 9%
of respondents who knew about the program said they participate.
·
51% of respondents were aware of the Community Police
program. Only 6% of those
respondents said they participate in the program’s activities.
·
62% of respondents were aware of
EmPOWERment; only 9% say they participate in EmPOWERment’s programs.
·
82% of respondents knew about youth
programs offered at the Hargraves Center, with 18% of those saying they
or their family members participated.
Only 58% of respondents knew of the adult programs at the
Hargraves Center, and 10% of those said they participated in these
programs.
·
66% of respondents were aware of the
programs at the Senior Center. 12%
say they participate in their programs.
·
53% of respondents were aware of the
Northside Neighborhood Association.
However, only 12% of these respondents participated in the
Association.
3.8
Community
Cohesion
In initial conversations with residents, some
residents indicated that there were divisions within the community between
renters and owners and particularly between public housing residents and the
rest of the community. To evaluate this
issue, we analyzed responses to various questions based on home ownership
status and on public housing status. We
found no statistically significant differences between these groups on any
issues, including relationships with neighbors, social ties in the area, and
perceptions of crime and safety. At the
same time, however, residents reported interaction primarily with their
immediate neighbors, and little communication with residents in other parts of
the study area.
These results suggest that social divisions and isolation
among residents remain barriers to participation in community programs and
improvement efforts. If these obstacles
can be overcome, however, the consistent results across a broad range of
neighborhood issues suggest that all residents of the community have similar
concerns. If residents can be mobilized
around these shared interests, there appears to be a strong opportunity for
community communication and relationship building.
4 KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
All of our recommendations for improving the quality of life in the Sykes Street area involve community organizing and outreach components. Encouraging resident input and ownership of these action strategies is critical to reduce the general social isolation in many parts of the community as well as the real and perceived divisions between groups such as public housing residents and non-public housing residents, renters and owners, and those living in the eastern section of the neighborhood and those in the western part. Although the survey response rate indicates that residents are concerned about their neighborhood and have a number of ideas they would like to put forth, many are skeptical about new proposals for change because they have seen too many neighborhood studies and not enough neighborhood action in the past. This mistrust makes community mobilization efforts difficult and contributes to low turnout at public meetings, particularly those organized by outside organizations. Local leadership development within the community is needed to overcome cynicism and ensure that the proposed action strategies are truly serving community needs.
The first set of recommendations focuses on ways in which specific organizations can foster general community involvement and leadership. The remaining sections focus on efforts to address specific issues such as crime and housing while also working to increase community participation.
4.1
Increasing
Community INVOLVEMENT
Agencies and nonprofits working in the neighborhood must make a
coordinated, comprehensive effort to continually involve local residents in all
aspects of their planning and operations.
Moreover, they should look for opportunities to support and develop
local leaders throughout the Sykes Street area and broader Northside
community. Our experience in holding
two public meetings suggests that flyering, personal and phone invitations, and
distribution of information through area churches are important, but they are
not enough to ensure high turnout at public meetings. Future community building activities need to use creative
strategies, such as neighborhood street fairs, back-to-school celebrations for
youth, and community barbecues. In any
public meeting, organizers need to be sensitive to particular community needs
and concerns, including:
·
Time and day: Some
residents will not attend night meetings because they feel unsafe traveling
through the neighborhood. Saturday and
Sunday afternoons may be a better time for holding events, but risk competing
against other family obligations and community activities.
· Place: The Hargraves Center offers the largest meeting space in the area, but some Sykes Street residents do not view it as part of their immediate community. Others feel unsafe in traveling to Hargraves. Holding meetings at the Craig Street Police Substation or closing streets for outdoor activities within the study area may increase turnout.
·
Childcare:
With one-third of residents under age 18, offering childcare and
activities for families is critical to involving more parents in neighborhood
initiatives.
We also recommend a number of ways that specific organizations can help increase participation:
4.1.1
Town-Sponsored
Neighborhood Planning Initiative
Many planning departments in towns around the country have implemented strong neighborhood-based planning initiatives. Although the Town of Chapel Hill is working to increase citizen participation through a number of boards and individual projects, maintaining contact with individual neighborhoods is difficult given current staffing levels. Implementation of a systematic neighborhood-based program would ensure that citizen input and decision-making are part of the regular structure of its planning process, for everything from housing to social service provision. One possibility would be to create a new staff position that would be designated specifically to serve as a liaison and facilitator for community planning processes.
ACTION STRATEGY
We recommend the Town of Chapel Hill research other cities’ models of neighborhood-based planning for possible future implementation as a means of developing local leadership and capacity (including, but not limited to, neighborhood organizations), offering opportunities to brainstorm and identify area assets as well as concerns, facilitating and building collaborative partnerships among all community stakeholders, and strengthening democratic governance in local communities.
For further
information:
·
City of Austin (http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/neighborhood/default.htm).
·
City of Minneapolis (http://www.nrp.org).
·
City of Seattle (http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/planning/).
4.1.2
Strengthen the
Northside Neighborhood Association
The Northside Neighborhood Association has been an important source of leadership in the larger community, participating in recent housing-related initiatives such as the creation of a rental licensing task force and proposals to create a single-family overlay zoning district. However, participation in the association has historically been stronger among residents in the eastern half of the neighborhood, than among those in the Sykes Street area.
ACTION STRATEGY
We recommend that the Northside Neighborhood Association, with support from EmPOWERment and students from the Department of City and Regional Planning, work to strengthen and expand participation from the western part of the Northside neighborhood. The Neighborhood Association’s participation in the housing affordability and preservation campaign outlined in Part 4.3.1 could serve as a starting place to help build relationships in this part of the neighborhood, but more dialogue and strategizing is needed to find additional ways to involve more Sykes Street area residents.
4.1.3
Build
Relationships with the new Public Housing Residents Council
The public housing units in the Sykes Street study area are unique relative to other public housing developments in Chapel Hill in that the units are integrated throughout the community along Craig, Gomains, Edwards Alley, and Sykes Street. However, although public housing residents are integrated spatially into the community and share many of the same concerns as homeowners and other renters, they generally have not been active in the Northside Community Watch and the Northside Neighborhood Association. The Public Housing Resident’s Council is planning an organizing campaign in the Sykes Street area this summer.
ACTION STRATEGY
As public housing residents begin to organize internally, we recommend that the Neighborhood Association and Community Watch reach out to the new Residents Council to invite participants to join other neighborhood initiatives. Additionally, Resident’s Council members should also extend invitations to both neighborhood groups to participate in their activities in effort to build community cohesion.
4.1.4
EmPOWERment
Support for Community Building Activities and Individual Leadership Development
EmPOWERment
is the only organization currently engaged in community organizing in the Sykes
Street area. The neighborhood organizer
works closely with the Northside Neighborhood Association, youth groups, and
other residents, but is also assigned to work with a number of other
neighborhoods and initiatives.
EmPOWERment is the logical agency to take the lead in organizing
broad-based resident participation as well as identifying and supporting
emerging leaders in the neighborhood, but a sustained long-term effort will
require a commitment to increasing the intensity of its organizing efforts in
the Sykes Street community.
ACTION
STRATEGY
With support from the Town and other steering committee members, EmPOWERment may want to consider applying to get a VISTA or AmeriCorps volunteer to assist with organization efforts centering on the Sykes Street area. We recommend that EmPOWERment focus specifically on:
· Developing one-on-one relationships with potential leaders who have emerged during the five-month study process at community meetings and other activities to encourage them to participate in the Sykes Street area steering committee and other neighborhood initiatives.
· Organizing social and community building activities that allow residents to meet one another and overcome some of the perceived divisions between residents of public housing and other groups within the neighborhood.
· Facilitating the initial and ongoing dialogue with the Northside Neighborhood Association to encourage more outreach into the Sykes Street area.
· Working with the Public Housing Resident’s Council and encouraging linkages between public housing residents and existing community organizations (Northside Neighborhood Association and Community Watch).
4.2 Improving Community Safety
As identified in respondents’ likes and dislikes about the Sykes Street area, crime and safety issues appear to be residents’ top concern for their neighborhood. Although respondents reported that violent crimes were relatively rare and nearly two-thirds of residents stated that they liked the community because it was quiet, the majority of respondents cited drug activities, loitering, and arguing as frequent occurrences. Many residents expressed frustration that people who do not live in the immediate neighborhood often hang out on Sykes Street and surrounding areas. However, despite widespread concerns about these issues, relatively small numbers of residents actively participate in the Community Policing and Neighborhood Watch programs. While community policing efforts appear to have increased residents’ satisfaction with police services, greater cooperation between police and residents will be necessary to make long-term changes in the atmosphere of the neighborhood. Direct enforcement efforts can drive drug dealers and loiterers out of the neighborhood temporarily, but they will stay out permanently only when residents and police together make them no longer feel comfortable in the area.
To promote communication and cooperation between police and residents, we recommend that the following initiatives be adopted in the Sykes Street neighborhood:
4.2.1
Implement
pending proposals to reconfigure police patrols to increase community contact
The majority of residents interviewed reported that they were generally satisfied with police services in the neighborhood. However, many respondents offered additional comments and suggestions for improving the Community Policing Program. Nearly 20% of respondents suggested that police need more direct contact with residents so that they know which people live in the neighborhood and which ones do not. A number of residents also specifically suggested bicycle or foot patrols through the neighborhood as a way to encourage interaction and to police areas that are difficult to reach by car.
ACTION STRATEGY
We
recommend that the Police Department should:
- Implement existing plans to re-establish bicycle patrol in the Sykes Street area.
- Implement existing plans to create a new assignment system in which patrol officers are assigned to specific districts so that they get to know individual residents and neighborhoods. Once assigned, officers for the district including the Sykes Street area should be strongly encouraged to participate in neighborhood activities along with officers who are assigned to the community policing unit.
4.2.2
Organize
residents to hold block-by-block house meetings
Resident surveys showed a significant lack of awareness of and participation in both Neighborhood Watch and the Community Policing Program. Approximately 50% of respondents said they knew about at least one of the two programs, but only 9% and 6%, respectively, participated. Moreover, many residents who were not aware of local activities expressed a strong interest in joining such groups if made available. This suggests that there is a critical need to explore new methods of publicizing and engaging in deliberate outreach activities to educate and inform all area residents of the existence of these organizations.
Awareness and participation are distinct issues. Increasing awareness focuses on informing residents of resources available to them; from the survey results, there appears to be a significant proportion of residents unaware of these critical assets in their community. Awareness, however, will not automatically improve participation. Instead, increasing resident involvement in this community will require consistent, sustained organizing and direct recruitment efforts. Strategies for increasing awareness and participation are suggested below.
ACTION STRATEGY
In general, we recommend that community policing officers continue and expand on their efforts to build awareness of their program activities. Although they already use many of these techniques, the survey results suggest that outreach initiatives will be needed regularly and continuously, including:
· Conducting door-to-door outreach to inform residents of the programs, meeting times, and to get to know residents who live in the neighborhood. Over time, these efforts can foster relationship building as well.
· Working actively with neighborhood churches to publicize crime prevention activities and opportunities for residents to participate. Additionally, officers should explore opportunities to directly speak to congregations or attend events in which they can inform residents about local activities.
· Flyering the community and mailing information regarding these programs to every residence in the area. In our efforts, we found that mailing information was an effective strategy in disseminating information.
ACTION STRATEGY
In addition to these community police efforts, we recommend that local residents organize block-by-block house meetings in order to bridge the communication gap in the neighborhood and to increase participation in Neighborhood Watch/Community Policing Programs.
· Format: A resident hosts a meeting to invite neighbors and the community police to talk about neighborhood issues. The small group provides an environment for open dialogue and allows residents to participate in a community meeting who may not normally attend due to the inability to drive or who are uncomfortable attending a large neighborhood meeting.
· Implementation: Community police, steering committee members and other stakeholders should collaborating identifying and recruiting residents to provide host homes for block meetings.
· Several residents have already offered to host house meetings and additional outreach can recruit additional volunteers. If feasible, meetings should be held on every block.
· Possible discussion topics include: (1) general crime prevention strategies; (2) specific methods for confronting and diffusing criminal activities; (3) educating residents concerning crime reporting procedures; (4) safety measures for specific populations, such as elderly residents and single-parent families; (5) discussions of lighting, fences, plantings, and other ways of making the local environment less welcoming for criminal activities; and (6) discussing broader judicial, law enforcement, and social services issues that impact the immediate community.
4.2.3
Organize a “safe
path” program
Survey respondents both with and without children expressed concern for the safety and quality of life of youth in the area. The fear of crime has created a sense of isolation among children and families in the neighborhood and has also limited families’ access to community resources. Accordingly, we recommend that Chapel Hill community police officers help residents to develop a “safe path” program based on a model first piloted in Los Angeles to simultaneously address safety concerns for youth and increase broader community interaction. The Los Angeles Police report that this program has been successful in establishing safe corridors that allow children to access museums and other community resources. In the Sykes Street area, this program is particularly appealing because it could create safe paths to the Hargraves Center and Baldwin Park as well as improving the general atmosphere of the neighborhood.
ACTION STRATEGY
We recommend that the community police program use house meetings and direct outreach to help begin to publicize the program and recruit volunteers.
· Format: Residents volunteer their homes as “safe houses” where children can go if they feel threatened or experience other problems in the neighborhood. Volunteers are asked to provide assistance to children by telephoning authorities when help is needed, assisting children with medical emergencies by contacting emergency medical care, reassuring lost or frightened children, reporting crimes to police and assisting children who may be the victims of an immediate crime.
· Implementation: Outreach work to recruit volunteers can be taken on by local families as well as by community police and other steering committee members.
· Volunteers undergo a limited background check by police, including criminal history and character reference interviews.
· Once approved, participants place safe path stickers prominently in their front windows to let children know where to go for help.
For further information:
·
Antoinette Vasquez, Management Assistant, Community
Policing Group, Los Angeles Police Department, 213-847-4882.
4.2.4 Implement an environmental design program
Environmental design programs shape communities’ physical environments to deter crime. For example, installing lighting, fences, and landscaping to keep pedestrian traffic out of dark and isolated areas communities can dramatically reduce the incidence of crime. The Chapel Hill Police Department should work with the Public Works Department and other relevant agencies to expand environmental design efforts and make direct improvements to the Sykes Street area’s physical environment as a means of reducing crime, increasing pedestrian and motorist safety, and improving general neighborhood appearance.[5] While the direct goal of the program is to make concrete physical changes, the police should use environmental design as another means of soliciting resident involvement both by seeking public input on changes made in public spaces as well as providing information to interested homeowners.
The environmental design program could also support broader community beautification strategies such as creating gardens on vacant lots and organizing monthly cleanups of the neighborhood and nearby greenway areas along the Tanyard Branch of Bolin Creek. A well-maintained environment shows that residents take ownership in their community and are unwilling to tolerate criminal activities.
ACTION
STRATEGY
We recommend the
development of environmental design measures to address the following specific
issues:
·
Loitering at the corner of Nunn-Whitaker-Graham-Sykes
intersection: One way to
reduce loitering on this corner is to develop the vacant lot between Nunn and
Graham. For instance, residents could
plant a community garden at the corner.
The presence of a garden would create “territoriality,”[6] by
delineating private space from semi-public space. Creation of territoriality designates the purpose of space, and
reduces its use for unintended purposes—in this case, loitering. Constructing a sidewalk and other design
options for changing the actual intersection are discussed in the
infrastructure recommendations.
·
Pedestrians
cutting through Baldwin Park onto Bynum Street and from Bynum/Craig through to
Sunset and Nunn: Residents on Bynum and
Craig Streets reported drug activity and trespassing through yards from Sunset
through Bynum and Craig near the entrance of Baldwin Park. The cut-through area is too small for police
surveillance by car, but other measures such as planting thorny bushes and
shrubbery could be taken to reduce pedestrian traffic.
·
Pedestrians
cutting through from public housing on Craig to North Roberson Street near the
Hargraves Center: Because of the presence of
children in this area, a fence or thornless bushes appear to be the safest
option for blocking pedestrian traffic.
For
further information:
·
Virginia Tech Crime Prevention (http://www.arch.vt.edu/crimeprev/pages/home.html).
·
National Crime Prevention Council (http://www.ncpc.org).
·
Bureau of Justice Assistance (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/).
4.3
Housing Issues
As noted in earlier, student pressures on housing are currently focused on the eastern portion of Northside rather than the study area. The Sykes Street community’s perceived high crime rate and greater distance from campus appear to have deterred student movement into the neighborhood for the time being. However, as initiatives to reduce crime and improve the quality of life in the area are implemented, the risk of gentrification through converting single-family rentals to UNC student rentals could escalate rapidly. At the same time, survey results indicate that nearly 90% of Sykes Street renters are interested in becoming homeowners, with 77% of those stating that they would be interested in purchasing a home within the local community. Over the long term, this suggests that preserving affordability for family rentals and facilitating the transition to home ownership will become increasing priorities within the local community.
Addressing both the risk of gentrification and the desire to preserve affordable housing will require a sustained, coordinated effort among the Town, housing agencies, and residents over the next several years. These stakeholders will have to lay the groundwork as other neighborhood initiatives are progressing so that the community will be able to maintain control of their community as housing pressures increase. Specifically, we recommend that the following action strategies be implemented simultaneously with the other initiatives included in this report:
4.3.1
Community
dialogue on PRESERVING housing affordability
The goal of this recommendation is to engage residents in a discussion about preserving housing affordability for low to moderate-income homeowners and renters in the Northside neighborhood. Economic factors and demographic changes continue to impact resident ability to preserve the Northside community. As UNC continues its plans for expansion, the university is expecting an increase of approximately 3000 students over the next decade. It is currently constructing four new dorms to house about 900 students, but off-campus housing pressures are expected to continue to increase. If residents do not undertake serious conversation about housing, it is probable that all of Northside will eventually become a community of rental homes dominated by UNC students.
ACTION STRATEGY
We recommend that the Northside Neighborhood Association, with support and technical assistance from EmPOWERment, OCHC, and students from UNC’s Department of City and Regional Planning, facilitate a community dialogue on preserving housing affordability in the neighborhood. The dialogue should be resident-driven and should focus on long-term community planning and visioning, including:
· Providing residents with information about specific options for preserving home ownership affordability and maintaining family rental opportunities.
· Exploring the impacts of implementing new initiatives on the larger community.
· Ensuring that property owners lead the conversation with a strong sense of control of the effort in terms of how they wish to manage their personal properties.
This recommendation hinges on the commitment of residents and community groups to begin meeting this summer to begin planning the campaign. The ultimate goal of this effort will be to derive a community-driven response to affordable housing preservation and increase the sense of ownership and personal investment in the Northside neighborhood, including the Sykes Street area. An example of a resident-driven housing preservation initiative is the Single Family Overlay Zone Ordinance proposed by the Northside Neighborhood Association. This ordinance was originated by the residents of the Neighborhood Association in response to the loss of community and affordable family rental housing in the area. Residents worked with staff of EmPOWERment, Inc., who provided technical assistance, to shape the ordinance to reflect community priorities for neighborhood preservation. The Northside Neighborhood Association and other supporting organizations can use the Single Family Overlay Zone as a springboard for a larger, more comprehensive discussion of additional tools for housing affordability and preservation.
The process could involve a series of local house meetings and larger community meetings with facilitators to share information and help structure the meetings. EmPOWERment and OCHC can provide technical information on different affordability preservation techniques, while DCRP students could provide staff support and research on models used in other communities, particularly in the area of single-family rental housing preservation.
4.3.2 COORDINATION OF homebuyer education and counseling and outreach to SYKES STREET residents
The goal of this recommendation is for EmPOWERment and OCHC to coordinate their homebuyer education efforts to provide consistent and relevant information to low- to moderate-income residents who are interested in home ownership. Given that nearly 90 percent of study area renters said they would like to own their own homes, a broad-based housing education campaign could be an important form of outreach to the broader community. The campaign could provide information and education programs for families with incomes sufficient to support home ownership, as well as credit counseling and broader services to support lower-income renters who want to purchase homes over the long term. DCRP students can provide staff support, helping to plan and implement the housing education plan.
4.3.3
caution in
making additional housing purchases
Purchasing homes that have become a focus for criminal activity so that they can be rehabilitated and sold to responsible new owners may often appear to be an attractive strategy for addressing crime and safety concerns. Home ownership is an important component of building community wealth and stability in its own right. However, the implications of such purchases on the housing issues raised in this report are complex and also require careful consideration by the Town Council.
First, repeated purchases-and-resales could impact the balance between ownership and family rental in the study area. The availability of affordable rental units is particularly important in the Sykes Street neighborhood, where the median annual income is $15,000 (17% AMI). For low-income households, the study area is one of the few remaining affordable rental neighborhoods in Chapel Hill. While the Town has responded to requests by nonprofit organizations to develop homeownership opportunities, preserving affordable rental units is also critical for families who are unlikely, based on their current incomes, to be able to purchase homes. Until options for rental preservation can be identified, extensive purchasing activities may increase the risk of displacing low-income renter households.
Second, with regard to placing such homes in the Community Land Trust in Orange County specifically, the Land Trust is a mechanism for permanent affordability that provides access to home ownership for families that might not otherwise be able to purchase homes. However, the organization has not previously operated in the Northside area, and residents need more time and information to understand how the model works and determine whether it is the right choice for their neighborhood.
ACTION
STRATEGY
Until the community dialogue outlined in Part 4.3.1 can occur, the Town should proceed with caution when considering whether to purchase additional homes in Northside and whether to place any such homes in the Land Trust. The dialogue process and supporting research should identify rental preservation options and facilitate an education campaign by the Land Trust to allow residents to consider what role (if any) they want it to play in housing affordability efforts. In the meantime, we urge the Town to support and facilitate the community dialogue by assigning a liaison—such as a neighborhood-based planning position discussed in Part 4.1.1—to work with the Northside Neighborhood Association and other supporting organizations.
4.4
Neighborhood
Infrastructure
A number of studies on the
Northside neighborhood have highlighted infrastructure needs.[7] However, it is unclear whether these
recommendations for improvements were followed up, and survey respondents
expressed frustration with the lack of visible outcomes. Chapel Hill police officers believe that
sidewalk installation and road improvements would also help to address crime
and safety concerns by keeping pedestrians off of narrow roadways and reducing
loitering issues. Sidewalks connecting
the Sykes neighborhood to the Hargraves Center would also facilitate greater
community use of the facility.
Accordingly, we recommend the following actions:
4.4.1 SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS
Three-quarters of respondents stated that more sidewalks were needed in the neighborhood. Currently, the only sidewalks in the study area are along its southeastern border, extending from the Hargraves Center north to Mitchell Lane, curving west along a short portion of Gomains to Craig. Counting votes for installing sidewalks everywhere as well as for specific individual locations, the top four priorities are:
· Sykes Street
· Gomains Avenue
· Nunn Street
· Craig Street
ACTION STRATEGY
The Town Council should direct the Town staff work with residents in evaluating the feasibility of installing sidewalks along key streets throughout the Sykes Street area as part of the annual sidewalk and bicycle facilities construction plan to be approved in fall 2001. Additional community discussion is essential before proceeding to the actual implementation stage because many residents are concerned with how sidewalk construction will impact their property. We recommend the Town proceed as follows:
· Planning staff should study sidewalk recommendations in this report for feasibility, cost, design issues, and ratings according to town sidewalk criteria.
· The Town and steering committee should then convene a comprehensive community meeting where all stakeholders are invited to debate specific potential sidewalk locations.
· Assuming community support, the Town Council should then vote on the plan as part of the normal sidewalk approval process in the fall.
The Sykes Street area appears to meet several of the Town’s criteria for allocating regular sidewalk funds in that it has significant safety issues, low speed limits through the neighborhood, strong citizen interest, and the presence of pedestrian generators such as Baldwin Park and the Hargraves Center. The Town Council may also want to consider the symbolic importance of following through on previous Northside recommendation reports by allocating funds from their general budget to address sidewalk needs. However, if other urgent projects outrank the Sykes Street proposal, the Town should use Community Development Block Grant funds to begin improvements quickly as a way of demonstrating its commitment to addressing longstanding community needs.
4.4.2 IMPROVEMENTS TO THE NUNN, SYKES, WHITAKER, AND GRAHAM INTERSECTION
As the primary entrance to the Sykes Street area from the south, the intersection between Nunn, Sykes, Whitaker, and Graham Streets has a major effect on the atmosphere of the entire neighborhood (see map, Appendix A, p. 3). Because Sykes and Graham Streets do not align with each from north to south and Whitaker and Nunn Streets do not align from east to west, the width and layout of the intersection impedes traffic flow. Excessive loitering has exacerbated the problem, with as many as 10 to 15 people in the intersection area during daylight hours, and even more after dark. These problems are reflected in the survey results, in which a majority of residents identified the area from Nunn to Sykes at Gomains Avenue as the most unsafe part of the neighborhood. Several respondents in the northern part of the neighborhood reported that they enter the neighborhood in a roundabout way from the east because they are concerned about driving with so many pedestrians on the street, and police report that school buses also have difficulty moving through the area.
ACTION STRATEGY
The Town Council should direct the
traffic engineer’s office to assess a wide range of options for improving the
intersection. The most promising
alternatives should then be brought back to the community for further
discussion before returning to the Council with a specific proposal. Discussions with residents have generated a
number of ideas to date:
· Acquiring the U-shaped peninsula of land separating Nunn Street and Graham Street; this plot of land could be used as a community garden or other physical design changes could be implemented to discourage loitering. See Part 4.2.4.
· Installing speed bumps on Nunn Street to slow traffic from Sykes and Sunset Streets.
· Turning Nunn into a one-way street running from west to east. This would also make sidewalk installation may be more feasible.
· Acquiring enough land to straighten Nunn Street to form a T-stop intersection at Graham/Whitaker streets.
· Extending Sunset Drive northward to connect with Craig Street and/or with Bynum Street to provide a second north-south route directly into the neighborhood.
4.4.3 IMPROVEMENTS TO THE TANYARD BRANCH GREENWAY TRAIL
The Tanyard Branch of Bolin Creek runs parallel to Mitchell Lane and then curves to form the northeastern border of the study area, cutting it off from McMasters Street. Although the survey did not include questions about the creek, a number of residents along Mitchell and Edwards Alley expressed frustration about its poor appearance and drainage problems. The greenway trail along the creek is also in poor condition, with serious erosion damage, washed-out stairs, litter, and other problems. Parks and Recreation staff has included trail improvements in their 2001-02 Capital Improvements Plan greenway budget and have indicated that renovations to the Tanyard Branch trail are a top priority for next year because it is in the poorest shape of any in Chapel Hill.
ACTION
STRATEGY
The Town Council should approve the 2001-02 CIP request so that improvements can proceed. Community residents, police, and public works patrols should work together to keep the trail safe and litter-free and to encourage more recreational activities along the greenway.
4.5
Maximizing
Community Resources
The Sykes Street area has a number of assets, foremost
of which is the Hargraves Community Center.
On the survey, Hargraves had the highest awareness level of any
organization operating in the community, but participation rates were low
particularly among adults. An interview
with the center’s staff supported the conclusion that the resources offered by
Hargraves are indeed under-utilized by community residents. Accordingly, we recommend the following
action strategies to counteract misperceptions and facilitate greater community
involvement in the center:
4.5.1
Provide
community residents with information to minimize safety concerns
Although the center is located on the southeast border
of the study area, survey results and resident interviews suggested that at
least part of the low community participation rate can be attributed to
perceptions that it is unsafe for children to walk through the Sykes Street
area to get to the facility. However,
police are on constant patrol near the Hargraves Center, and crime
statistics suggest that the facility is not a focus for illegal activity in the
neighborhood.
ACTION
STRATEGY
Hargraves Center
staff should collaborate with the community police and local residents on the
safe path program and other measures such as using its newsletter and brochures
to highlight the center as a safe place for children to participate in
activities.
4.5.2
Increase
HARGRAVES staff capacity to conduct Community Outreach Efforts
Hargraves staff also stated that many parents do not come to register children for team events and other activities that are offered by the center. Suggested reasons for the lack of parent involvement include misperceptions that registration must be performed at the Parks and Recreation Department and that the registration fees are too costly for parents to afford. In reality, however, parents can complete registration forms at Hargraves and have the center staff mail them to the Parks and Recreation Department. The Center also often waives registration fees for families who have difficulty with payment.
ACTION STRATEGY
An additional dedicated outreach worker is critical to increasing participation in Hargraves Center programs by:
· Educating residents about the registration process and fee waivers.
· Building one-on-one relationships with children and teens in the study area by activities such as mentoring young people, publicizing programs and inviting residents to visit the center, exploring new programming ideas as a means of outreach, and engaging in fun and educational activities with neighborhood youth.
Currently, with only two full-time employees, it is difficult to conduct community outreach efforts while managing the day-to-day operations of the center. Accordingly, we recommend that the Hargraves staff, representatives of relevant Town departments, and area residents work together to develop a community outreach plan detailing the role of the new position in increasing participation of neighborhood residents. Specifically, the working group should determine the need for developing new programs, design an education and awareness campaign, and designate specific responsibilities of the outreach worker. Although the Town’s budget cycle runs from June to June, we urge the Town staff to identify possible funding streams that would support an outreach worker for the Hargraves Center who could start the position before June 2002.
5 COMMUNITY ISSUES FOR FUTURE RESEARCH
Apart from the recommendations in Part 4, several other community concerns were identified during survey and stakeholder interviews that merit future attention and research. These include:
5.1
New Construction
at the End of Sykes Street
Several nearby residents reported people breaking into the newly constructed vacant duplexes at the southern end of Sykes Street. Although police have responded quickly to problems, we are very concerned about the potential negative implications these empty properties could have on crime and safety in the neighborhood. Because of their location at the northernmost end of Sykes Street, which makes community and police surveillance difficult, it is critical that these particular properties be well managed. Town departments should work with police to facilitate monitoring this area and developing future recommendations to ensure that crime does not escalate in this section of the neighborhood.
5.2 AGE-TARGETED COMMUNITY SERVICES
Participants’ ages were not asked or analyzed as a critical research issue for the scope of this study. However, age differences can have an impact on demand for services and can shape the planning and development of the community. Therefore, we recommend that the following issues be explored in future research:
· The number of elderly homeowners. In contrast to renters, the majority of homeowners appeared to be elderly. Thus, inheritance issues and options for elderly residents and their family members in property transfers between generations will be critical in determining the continued affordability of the neighborhood.
· The correlation between age and community concerns. People of various ages may respond differently to concerns about crime, infrastructure, and other neighborhood issues. Additionally, strategies for organizing and increasing participation will also likely differ according to resident age. Understanding the make-up of the community by age will help to plan more effective, targeted strategies.
6 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TRANSITION AND FIRST PHASE OF IMPLEMENTATION
Much of the groundwork for improving community development in the Sykes Street area has occurred in the last five months, but the implementation phase will require an even greater effort. Thus, it is essential that the steering committee continues its momentum, and follows through with this report’s recommendations and issues identified for future research. We offer three essential recommendations for the further development of the action strategies; the first relates to the governance of the steering committee, the second to continuing the relationship between the project and the UNC Department of City and Regional Planning, and the third to potential organizational partnerships.
6.1
Steering
Committee Operations
Currently only one neighborhood resident is active on the Sykes Street steering committee. Initially the committee actively solicited additional neighborhood residents, but had little success. This likely can be attributed to the committee’s meeting time; since the majority of residents surveyed work, meeting at lunch is not feasible for their participation. Committee members need to schedule their meetings to accommodate neighborhood residents (i.e., by meeting in the evening) and to actively recruit additional residents to participate regularly. Community members’ involvement is critical to the long-term success of the project because they provide other steering committee members with better entrée into the neighborhood and ultimately increase the likelihood of other citizens getting involved. Additionally, inviting more residents to participate on the steering committee also facilitates leadership development in the community. Thus, the steering committee needs to continue to reach out to community members.
To streamline the implementation of the suggested action strategies, and to research other issues, we suggest:
· Creating three working groups, each with a particular focus.
· Crime, infrastructure, and environmental design
· Housing preservation and homebuyer education campaigns
· Connecting residents to the available services and activities such as those available at the Hargraves Center
· Each committee could invite additional stakeholders at their discretion, such as a representative from the Public Works Department, the school system, social services, or any other organization serving the neighborhood, to work on the committee.
· The expanded steering committee must continue to meet on an on-going basis.
6.2
The Department
of City and Regional Planning Community Development Workshop
The UNC Department of City and Regional Planning is
committed to continuing working with the steering committee and conducting
future research in the Sykes Street area.
· Students have recommended that the workshop class be extended to a full-year seminar to maximize students’ presence in the community and ensure ongoing commitment to the implementation of neighborhood planning recommendations. Thus, starting late August 2001, a new group of DCRP Master’s students will be ready to embrace the Sykes Street recommendations and begin implementation and further research into two primary areas:
· Maximizing Sykes Street area participation in the Hargraves Center
· Developing a strategy to support the housing preservation campaign
6.3
Organizational
Partnerships
Currently, there are two areas for organizational partnerships that have emerged from the Sykes Street area steering committee process.
· EmPOWERment and OCHC: Although EmPOWERment and OCHC serve the community’s housing needs in different ways, there are opportunities for collaboration. The two nonprofits held a joint board meeting on May 15, 2001, to begin initial discussions around potential partnerships. It is our hope that these two organizations will develop strategies for partnering together to increase the capacity of both organizations and better serve the residents of the Sykes Street area and other neighborhoods. A critical topic to consider in future collaboration efforts is the impact of increased home ownership on renter displacement in low-income communities, and identifying what measures can be taken to mitigate this displacement.
· Town of Chapel Hill and the Department of City and Regional Planning: It is our recommendation that the Town fund a part-time position to enable one of the students who has been working on the Sykes Street area steering committee to continue with the project over the summer (see Appendix J, pg. 35). This will facilitate steering committee operations over the next three months as the group begins planning for implementation, as well as easing the transition for the new group of students who will begin work on the project in the fall.